At the 59th session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva on Tuesday, a group of 40 countries issued a joint declaration supporting Morocco’s sovereignty over Western Sahara. The move marks a significant diplomatic push in a conflict that has divided the international community for decades.
The declaration emphasized the need to maintain constructive and bilateral dialogue within the Council. It warned against what it called the “instrumentalisation” of the Human Rights Council for political ends– a veiled critique of states that challenge Morocco’s role in the disputed territory.
The group, which includes countries like Burkina Faso, Liberia, and Kuwait, cited the opening of multiple foreign consulates in the cities of Dakhla and Laâyoune as evidence of growing support.
“These consulates constitute a lever for strengthening economic cooperation and investments,” the declaration stated, “for the benefit of local populations as well as regional and continental development.”
At the heart of the statement was support for Morocco’s Autonomy Initiative, a 2007 proposal offering limited self-rule under Moroccan sovereignty. The plan was reaffirmed as a “credible and serious” framework for resolving the dispute.
The declaration also backed the UN-led political process, particularly the Geneva round-table talks, and praised Security Council Resolution 2756 from October 2024, which calls for a “realistic, pragmatic, lasting and compromise-based solution”.
The statement further argued that resolving the Sahara dispute would serve broader goals of African and Arab integration and development. Morocco was presented as a driver of regional stability and economic progress.
On human rights, the group noted Morocco’s long-standing engagement with the UN system and praised the work of human rights commissions operating in the disputed territory.
Still, the conflict remains unresolved. The UN continues to list Western Sahara as a non-self-governing territory. The Polisario Front, backed by Algeria, insists on an independence referendum, which is an outcome Morocco has consistently rejected.
While the declaration does not alter the region’s legal status, it signals the growing diplomatic support for Rabat, with the Human Rights Council becoming another front in Morocco’s bid for international legitimacy.
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